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How much of an impact can strength coach Mike Woicik make?
Former Cowboys Emmitt, 'Moose' explain
By Rainer Sabin / Reporter
rsabin@dallasnews.com | Bio
9:37 PM on Sun., May. 15, 2011
The tone could have already been set, the expectations established and the foundation laid. But, alas, the lockout happened and everything was put on hold.
For the Cowboys' management, perhaps the greatest lament caused by the NFL's ongoing labor dispute concerns the team's inability to work out this offseason under the supervision of strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik.
Woicik, who spent the last 11 seasons serving in a similar capacity with the New England Patriots , was rehired in February by the franchise where he earned three of his six Super Bowl rings.
From 1990-1996, Woicik worked behind the scenes in Dallas, making few headlines. But in the eyes of the players who received all the glory, Woicik deserves some credit for the contributions he made toward the Cowboys' last dynasty.
"He came in and changed the weight room and changed the program," said former Cowboys fullback Daryl Johnston. "He raised the expectations. He created accountability. I laugh because you'll hear a team say we have 85 percent participation in our offseason program. We had 98, 99 percent every season.
"The guys enjoyed being around. That was one of my favorite times of the year of the season was the offseason working out with Mike and my teammates. I think it was critical element of the success that we had."
Before Woicik arrived at Valley Ranch, the Cowboys had an outdoor weight room and sub-standard equipment. He pushed for renovations and upgrades, persuading owner Jerry Jones to invest the funds necessary to make them.
As former coach Jimmy Johnson attempted to reshape the Cowboys, he charged Woicik with overseeing their offseason workouts and gave him the authority to administer fines. The team, at Woicik's suggestion, also created incentives for those who performed well in the training sessions. Demanding as he was, Woicik commanded respect and loyalty -- so much so that Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith said every current Cowboy should heed Woicik's advice.
"If there is a player in that locker room who questions that man's ability to build great football players physically," Smith said, "that player shouldn't even be on the team."
By the end of his third season with the Cowboys, Woicik was honored by his peers when he was named the best strength and conditioning coach in the league.
A year later, the Cowboys' 22 starters missed only eight games because of injuries, the fewest in the NFL in 1993. Many credited the team's overall health to Woicik, who used the time before the lockout, according to Johnston, to draft workout plans that the current players could execute without his supervision.
"I think he's one of the big secrets of the offseason," Johnston said. "They'll be bigger. They'll be faster. They'll be stronger. There will be less injuries. I think it's a huge move. And nobody is going to talk about it much. Only two teams have won three Super Bowls in four years and he was the strength coach for both of them. And I don't think that is by coincidence."
Former Cowboys Emmitt, 'Moose' explain
By Rainer Sabin / Reporter
rsabin@dallasnews.com | Bio
9:37 PM on Sun., May. 15, 2011
The tone could have already been set, the expectations established and the foundation laid. But, alas, the lockout happened and everything was put on hold.
For the Cowboys' management, perhaps the greatest lament caused by the NFL's ongoing labor dispute concerns the team's inability to work out this offseason under the supervision of strength and conditioning coach Mike Woicik.
Woicik, who spent the last 11 seasons serving in a similar capacity with the New England Patriots , was rehired in February by the franchise where he earned three of his six Super Bowl rings.
From 1990-1996, Woicik worked behind the scenes in Dallas, making few headlines. But in the eyes of the players who received all the glory, Woicik deserves some credit for the contributions he made toward the Cowboys' last dynasty.
"He came in and changed the weight room and changed the program," said former Cowboys fullback Daryl Johnston. "He raised the expectations. He created accountability. I laugh because you'll hear a team say we have 85 percent participation in our offseason program. We had 98, 99 percent every season.
"The guys enjoyed being around. That was one of my favorite times of the year of the season was the offseason working out with Mike and my teammates. I think it was critical element of the success that we had."
Before Woicik arrived at Valley Ranch, the Cowboys had an outdoor weight room and sub-standard equipment. He pushed for renovations and upgrades, persuading owner Jerry Jones to invest the funds necessary to make them.
As former coach Jimmy Johnson attempted to reshape the Cowboys, he charged Woicik with overseeing their offseason workouts and gave him the authority to administer fines. The team, at Woicik's suggestion, also created incentives for those who performed well in the training sessions. Demanding as he was, Woicik commanded respect and loyalty -- so much so that Pro Football Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith said every current Cowboy should heed Woicik's advice.
"If there is a player in that locker room who questions that man's ability to build great football players physically," Smith said, "that player shouldn't even be on the team."
By the end of his third season with the Cowboys, Woicik was honored by his peers when he was named the best strength and conditioning coach in the league.
A year later, the Cowboys' 22 starters missed only eight games because of injuries, the fewest in the NFL in 1993. Many credited the team's overall health to Woicik, who used the time before the lockout, according to Johnston, to draft workout plans that the current players could execute without his supervision.
"I think he's one of the big secrets of the offseason," Johnston said. "They'll be bigger. They'll be faster. They'll be stronger. There will be less injuries. I think it's a huge move. And nobody is going to talk about it much. Only two teams have won three Super Bowls in four years and he was the strength coach for both of them. And I don't think that is by coincidence."